Sanitary drinking fountain



June 1, 1943. H. A. MEAD SANITARY DRINKING FOUNTAIN Filed May 26, 1941 ATTORNEY.

Patented June 1, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE SANITARY DRINKING FOUNTAIN Homer A. Mead, Turlock, Calif.

Application Ma-y 26, 1941, SerialNo. 395,186

8 Claims.

This invention relatesv to drinking fountains, and particularly to one for domestic use, adapted to be connected to an ordinary sink or similar house faucet.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a drinking fountain in the form of an attachment which may be easily and quickly mounted in connection with a conventional faucet; a device which enables the water flow to discharge downwardly in the same direction as from the faucet or upwardly in the form cf a small stream exposed for direct handling, as the user may desire; a device which may be used with any reasonable pressure without materially increasing the height and velocity of the drinking stream; and a device which is sanitary since when not in use the passage spout through which the drinking stream emerges is always closed.

With my drinking fountain attachment any member of the household may take a drink without using a glass or a paper cup or the like, while at the same time the attachment does not prevent the use of the faucet in the ordinary manner for filling kettles and other utensils.

A further object of the invention is to produce av simple and inexpensive device, and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawing similarcharacters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure l is a side elevation of my drinking fountain attachment as applied-to a faucet.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the device detached, showing the deflector in its normal or inoperative position.

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the deflector moved to cause the water to discharge from the drinking spout.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary transverse section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, the device comprises a tubular open-ended passage member I having a bore approximately the same size as thatl of an ordinary faucet F with which the fountain is to be used, so that it may pass the full flow from the faucet. At the top the member I is provided with an upstanding flexible rubber sleeve 2v adapted to clampingly i'lt over the lower end of the faucet, as shown so as to couple said member and the faucet together in a water-tight manner.

Projecting upwardly from the member on one side is a relatively small spout 3, disposed with a slight upward slant away from said side of the member so that the water stream as it issues from the spout will always fall away from the member,

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as indicated in Fig. 3. The spout at its lower end curves toward andv is connected to the member I intermediate the ends thereof and at the top of its connected portion, projects a short distance into said member I to form an overhanging lip or ledge 4 therein.

A deflector or flap valve 5 extends lengthwise inside the member I on the side thereof opposite the spout, being loosely hung at its upper end, ad jacent the upper endof said member, on a radial pin mounted in the latter. The deflector at its opposite end is substantially semi-circular in form and thus extends about half way about the bore of the member. The side edges of the deilector converge towards its lower end, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, and are of such contour and length as to closely engage the bore of the member when the flap or delector is swung diagonally in said bore, and its lower end is in contact with the bore on the same side as and below the point 0f connection of the spout with said member, as shown in Fig. 3. When the deflector is so positioned it obviouslyv forms a closure for the member I below the spout, causing the stream of water issuing into said member from the faucet to be deflected upwardly into and discharged from the spout', as indicated. When the deilector is in a normal downwardly hanging position adjacent the wall of the bore, as shown in Fig. 2, it offers no obstruction to the free downward ilow of water from the faucet, as will be evident. The lip 4 then acts as a deflector, preventing a tendency for any water to possibly flow up and overflow from the spout.

The deflector 5 normally hangs down of its own weight, and to move it to a deflected position, a flexible pull unit is secured on said deflector near its lower end and extends thence upwardly and through the spout to an exposed end for operation. Such unit comprises a chain 'I preferably ofthe swivel ball-link type, the endmost balls'Ia of the chain being rigid with the deflector and with the lower end of a rigid hook-like element 8. This hook is secured 0n and depends from a body 9 tapering down from a running t in thev spout and surmounted by an integral closure cap I0 for the spout and a pull knob Il above the cap. The spout when not in use is thus closed and kept sanitary, the'tapering body preventing the-cap from'v being easily dislodged. A tension spring I2 surrounds the chain and is engaged at .its ends with the fixed chain elements la, without preventing, swivel movement thereof. The spring is contracted when the unit is slack and then takes up substantially all the slack between the links of the chain. The length of the unit is such that when the cap is engaged with the spout, said unit is slack and the deflector hangs free. When the knob is pulled or lifted sufficiently to enable the hook 8 to be hung on the rim of the spout with the body 8 projecting laterally out therefrom, as shown in Fig. 3, the deilector is swung across the bore of the member I and the spring is tensioned sufficiently to hold the defiector in place. At the same time some but not all of the slack is taken out of the chain so that the pull unit may still be extended somewhat.

This is a valuable feature, since it enables an excessive water pressure which would otherwise cause the stream from the spout to extend up to an undue height, to open the defiector somewhat and thus be relieved, the excess water discharging from the lower end of the member l. With this arrangement the attachment may be used with any different Ywater pressures likely to be encountered, without having to set the device to opcrate efficiently at a certain main pressure only. The use of a chain in connection with the spring prevents the excessive tension and possible distortion of the spring, such as might be caused by a careless person when pulling on the knob to shift the defiector.

The swivel mounting of the hook and body unit relative to the spring enables the hook to be hung on the spout at any point in its periphery without tending to twist the spring.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen-that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

v Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a drinking fountain attachment for a faucet having an open ended passage member adapted to depend from the faucet, and to be coupled to the faucet in watertight relationship whereby water may flow from the faucet and through the member to the lower end thereof and a spout connecting with and upstanding from the member on one side thereof; means to control a flow of water from the faucet through the member to its lower end and alternately from the faucet and into the spout; the spout at its point of connection with the passage member projecting at the top into the same to form a water deffectin'g lip.

2. In a drinking fountain attachment for a faucet having an open ended passage member adapted to depend from the faucet, and to be coupled to the faucet in watertight relationship whereby water may flow from the faucet and through the member to the lower end thereof and a spout connecting with and upstanding from the member on one side thereof; a deflector in the member in position to normally allow of a flow through the member to its lower end and movable from such position to deflect the flow into the spout, and an operating unit including an element so yieldable under and affected by water pressure from the faucet in excess of said normal pressure that such pressure when acting on the defiector will move the same away from a deecting position.

3. In a drinking fountain attachment for a faucet having an open ended passage member adapted to depend from the faucet, and to be coupled to the faucet in watertight relationship whereby water may flow from the faucet and through'the member to the lower end thereof and a spout connecting with and upstanding from the member on one side thereof; a deflector in the member in position to normally allow of a now through the member to its lower end and movable from such position to deflect the flow into the spout, an operating unit for thus moving the defiector, said unit including an anchor element at its outer end, and a tension spring between said element and the deflector and adapted to be extended by water pressure in excess of a predetermined amount, acting on the deflector.

4. In a drinking fountain attachment for a faucet having an open ended passage member adapted to depend from the faucet, and to be coupled to the faucet in watertight relationship whereby water may flow from the faucet and through the member to the lower end thereof and a spout connecting with theV member intermediate its ends and upstanding therefrom on one side, a deector extending lengthwise of the member on the side opposite the spout and hung adjacent its upper end above the point of connection of the spout with the member for diagonal swinging movement from a normal depending po sition to engage the bore of the member diagonally and close off the member below the spout, and a flexible pull unit connected to the deector and projecting upwardly through the spout for `operation from its outer end.

5. A device as in claim 4, in which said unit' includes a holding element to engage the spout at its rim when the defiector is in a swung position and a tension spring between said element and the deflector.

6. An attachment as in claim '1, in which the water flow control means comprises an element extending lengthwise in the member opposite the spout with its upper and lower ends respectively above and below the lower end of the spout and hung adjacent its upper end at a point above the lip for lateral swinging movement sufficient to close the member below the spout.

7 In a drinking fountain attachment for a faucet having an open-ended cylindrical passage' member adapted to depend from and to be coupled to the faucetin water-tight relationship, and a spout connecting with and upstanding from the member on one side thereof; a deflector in the member to normally allow. of a flow through the member to its lower end and movable to deflect the flow into the spout, and means to move the deflector; said defiector extending lengthwise in the member on the side opposite thev spout and being curved to normally lie against the member 

